Our mission: We aim to be the most independent and credible English-language news source in Greater China. We seek to amplify the voices of the voiceless, not the powerful. And our platform will act as a monitor should Hong Kong’s core values and freedoms be threatened. The HKFP team is fully committed to reporting the facts, without fear, favour or interference.

Free of charge and completely independent, HKFP launched in 2015 amid rising concerns over declining press freedom in Hong Kong. It was the city’s first crowdfunded media outlet, and the fastest-funded, biggest crowdfunding project of its time.

HKFP seeks to bridge the gap between Chinese and English reporting while providing a platform that is immune from increasing political and commercial pressure.

We conducted all fundraising independently in 2018, using our own donation software instead of third-party crowdfunding sites. The move saved us thousands in admin fees.

Reporters Without Borders upgraded Hong Kong’s press freedom ranking in May, stating that Hong Kong Free Press is part of an “organised resistance to Beijing’s meddling.” We were invited to Seoul to help launch the report, with RSF hailing us as a model for the region in a June blog post.

A number of website fixes were rolled out to improve our uptime and site speed. Dozens of bugs, CSS design issues and load-bearing issues were resolved.

In June, we rolled out staff healthcare and dental care, as well as three months maternity/paternity leave.

Also in June, our editor-in-chief shared the story of HKFP and the importance of press freedom at TEDx Wanchai. He also spoke at three local universities and attended the East-West Center media conference in Singapore.

The centrepiece art exhibition by cartoonist Badiucao was cancelled owing to threats (see page 13). However, the series of events will be expanded in 2019 to act as an annual barometer of free expression in the city.

👉 The HKFP team and model- click to view.

Hong Kong Free Press is structured as a not-for-profit company, limited by guarantee, not shares. HKFP does not answer to any business tycoon, mainland Chinese conglomerate or media mogul. We are run by journalists, and are answerable only to ourselves and our readers.

👉 How donations are spent- click to view

We are proud to be Hong Kong’s most transparent news outlet and, as a non-profit company, HKFP is externally audited every year.

Our income for the period between 1/1/2017 and 31/12/2017 was as follows:

Income

2016

2017

All donations

HK$1,063,125

HK$1,769,760

Ad/content sales

HK$92,276

HK$328,759

Events

HK$8,352

HK$0

Bank interest

HK$12

HK$1

Total:

HK$1,163,765

HK$2,098,520

Our 2017 revenue streams:

All donations: includes one-off and monthly Patron contributions by cheque, cash, transfer, PayPal and debit/credit card, as well as profit from merch sales.

We receive at least HK$6,000 per month from donors who contribute regularly via cheque/transfer.

In total, we have a membership income of at least HK$32,562/month from at least 124 Patrons – up from 99 contributing HK$19,767/month in 2017. Donors are overwhelmingly from Hong Kong, though we also have backers in the US, UK, Australia and China.

Patrons are given priority and/or free entry to HKFP events, merchandise and a hard copy of our Annual Report. We aim to reach 500 patrons between 2019-2020.

Our expenditure for our latest audited year – 1/1/2017 to 31/12/2017 – was as follows:

Expenditure

2016

2017

Staff payroll

HK$1,035,523

HK$1,340,230

Mandatory Provident Fund (pensions)

HK$50,942

HK$66,180

Website, newswire text/photo, software

HK$33,083

HK$58,693

Office, sundry & recruitment/training

HK$25,801

HK$57,565

Meals/drinks for volunteers & staff

HK$25,531

HK$17,106

Legal, professional, registration, audit fees

HK$10,845

HK$45,231

Travel & Insurance

HK$8,267

HK$8,169

Stationery/merch, printing

HK$17,124

HK$686

Bank charges

HK$2,218

HK$1,170

Freelancer payments & gear

HK$0

HK$34,090

Tax

HK$0

HK$13,343

Advertising

HK$0

HK$10,261

Total:

HK$1,209,334

HK$1,652,724

HKFP is run as efficiently and prudently as possible, in order to maximise the impact of our donors’ generosity. We make savings by partnering with other media outlets, using free software wherever possible and making full use of teamwork and automation to save on labour costs.

During 2017, we employed 4-6 full-time staff members, including a summer intern.

Our balance as of the end of 2017:

2015 total surplus:

HK$91,654

2016 total deficit:

-HK$45,569

2017 total surplus:

HK$445,796

As a non-profit, with no shareholders or investors, HKFP’s surplus was recycled back into the company in 2018.

HKFP is home to a mix of breaking news, original reporting, features and interviews, providing a direct platform for expert voices, citizen contributors, NGOs and advocacy groups. See our latest annual report.

As a not-for-profit business, HKFP is becoming more sustainable with multiple revenue streams such as membership, crowdfunding, advertising, events, donations and content provision.

We are not answerable to any corporate entity, business tycoon or mainland Chinese conglomerate. HKFP is run by journalists and serves the public.

Why can you trust HKFP?

✓Immune to censorship: HKFP is answerable only to readers – we have no investors, no shareholders, no tycoons, no mainland owners or umbrella company behind us. Our independence means we are fully resistant to censorship and self-censorship.

✓Non-profit model: We are a non-profit, limited by guarantee company. This means all profits are recycled back into the company, and we are audited every year. We are run by journalists and immune to commercial and political pressure.

✓Transparent & efficient: We are the city’s most transparent news outlet – publishing an annual Transparency Report. 84 per cent of income comes from donations, whilst 81 per cent of spending goes simply towards paying journalists. Teamwork, automation, partnerships and the use of free digital tools keep our costs down.

✓Accurate & accountable: We ensure everything we publish includes a balance of viewpoints in order to avoid any bias. All facts, quotes and figures are properly attributed to the source, often with links to the original material. Our own opinions are strictly kept out of our copy, whilst we act quickly and transparently to correct errors. HKFP avoids sensationalism and clickbait, and clearly marks paid-for content as “sponsored.” Accuracy and fairness are our top priorities.

Support independent media

Partner with HKFP

HKFP Weekly Newsletter

What is Hong Kong Free Press?

Hong Kong Free Press is a non-profit English language news source seeking to unite critical voices. Free and independent, HKFP launched in 2015 amid rising concerns over declining press freedom in Hong Kong and during an important time in the city’s constitutional development.
Click here to learn how you can support us and ensure our independence.